Chapter 3: The Hunt
It didn't take long for Ruby to find herself amid the Evil Queen's Kingdom. Ruby was still shocked at the fact that the wolf decided to be cooperative to find this human. She had gone back to the apple tree to trace the scent of the human from that night. It took a while but soon she was here among all these humans going about their business for the day. She sniffed the air to spot the lavender smell but was met with disappointment.
"Now, how the hell am I going to find this…this human…is it her or him…. argh…. maybe I should just leave." Ruby vented to herself. She looked around hopelessly and wondered how the hell she was going to spot this one human she was in search of. She was already worked up over the fact she had to sneak out from the pack and if it was known she was among humans they would have her head for it.
Her life was at stake at this point, she barely managed to escape the wrath of her granny the night before but, this would aggravate her to the point of killing Ruby.
Ruby was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't sense someone standing behind her. She quickly turned around and braced herself for an attack when she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She came face to face with a woman with bronze armor and her hand on her sword which was sitting against her hip.
"Now, where did you happen to get your hands on that cloak?" the stranger asked as she looked the cloak up and down and then was staring right at Ruby.
Ruby tried to put a fake smile on as she gathered her thoughts to come up with a lie. She couldn't afford to cause any trouble. "Ah you see I am not obligated to answer…. but I will tell you this I stumbled upon this thing while I was out on a stroll." She said out loud as she thought the answer should suffice the soldier.
The soldier looked her up and down. She smiled to herself and said, "Now if I recall correctly Queen Cora would be furious if she were to learn that her maids have started to steal from her."
Ruby couldn't help but throw the soldier a confused look not understanding what the soldier was trying to imply.
"Listen here you, I did not steal this cloak...like I said I... uh stumbled upon it...and I am not a maid for anyone" Ruby spoke out trying to hold the anger in and trying her best to not let the wolf out. The soldier turned away from her and took a couple of steps towards the kingdom's gate. She then glanced back to look at Ruby straight into her eyes and spoke, "I suggest you return that to the rightful owner or else your head will be off of your shoulders." Ruby was taken aback by the blunt statement, she let out a growl as she saw the soldier walking away again. She wanted to grab her by the throat and sink her teeth in to teach her a lesson. Before she could let her wolf loose, she took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Calm down Ruby, focus on why you are here," Ruby said to herself as she noticed a couple of people looking at her confused. She stormed through the crowd of people, towards the castle now. The soldier might have made her angry, but she also gave her the only clue she needed for what she was looking for.
It was past lunchtime now; Regina had decided to stroll through the garden at the back of the castle. She remembered the time when she had to beg her mother to let her have a garden and her mother agreed only if Regina was accompanied by the royal guards. The guards didn't bother her much they would just stand by watching her maintain the garden and keep an around the surroundings. Here and there she would speak to them, but they never tried to initiate a conversation themselves, 'Queens orders I guess' Regina had thought to herself one day. She was quickly brought back to the present as she looked at beautiful roses in front of her. She was so proud of herself for managing to grow so many flowers and herbs in her garden.
She was still in awe of her handiwork that she didn't notice the dark figure hiding behind the apple tree that she was currently facing away from. Then she heard it, a deep growl coming from behind her. It sent chills down her spine and Regina couldn't help but feel the same dread she had felt the night before. She slowly looked up from the flowers and towards the guards whom she spotted standing at the entrance door to the garden. As she was about to speak for help, the growl interrupted her again, it felt louder as if the sound was coming right from behind her.
She slowly turned around and spotted the dark figure again but this time the shadow was hiding its presence with shade from the tree. Regina decided to take a step towards it, but it growled again and stopped her in her tracks. She decided to test her luck again, assuming the dark figure didn't want to be spotted so wouldn't try to come out from underneath the tree. She threw back a quick glance at the soldiers and was relieved to find them still stationed at the door. She picked up her pace a little bit and stood a couple of feet away from the tree now.
The figure decided to come out from behind the tree a little bit. It sniffed the air took a deep breath and growled again. Regina took a few more steps towards the tree, as she did, she was greeted by the familiar face of the unconscious woman in the woods. She couldn't help but be amazed by the bright red eyes looking right at her. She gasped a little, lost for words. What could she say, she didn't think she would ever see the young woman again after that night?
Regina finally noticed the outstretched hand in front of her. It was holding her cloak. She slowly reached out but stopped as the woman growled again. But Regina decided to go for it. She reached her hand out to grab the cloak but the moment she did that, the young woman grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto her.
She didn't know how or why but she was being held in an embrace as the young werewolf snuggled her nose into Regina's neck. The cloak was forgotten on the ground now. And Regina was confused and afraid to do anything. She braced herself, trying to calm herself and find words to make her captor let her lose.
"Pp.. Please don't kill me..." Regina pleaded out as she heard and felt the deep growl against her neck. Before she knew what happened Regina was on the ground bracing herself with her arms from hitting the floor completely. She quickly looked up and saw the young werewolf breathing heavily and panting.
Before anything was said again, the young werewolf vanished from her sight without saying anything.
"Princess Regina, what are you doing on the ground?" one of the royal guards asked. Regina broke out of her daze and looked at the guard and his hand out for her to take. She took the guard's hand and got up. "Thank you, Daniel."
"You're very welcome my lady," Daniel replied as he bent down to grab the cloak from the ground. "There you go my lady", Regina looked at the cloak confused as to take it or let sit on the floor. She decided to take it. "I will be heading back to my room now; you don't have to escort me there," Regina informed the guards as she quickly walked past them and out of the garden.
"What happened?" asked the other guard looking at Daniel's worried face.
"There was blood on the princess's neck…it wasn't a lot or anything…looked sort of like a cut or something…" Robin waited for Daniel to complete his thoughts but when Daniel didn't say anything and just kept gazing at the retrieving back of Princess Regina.
"It might have been the thorns from one of these flowers around here. The Princess can take care of herself, you know that better than anybody else. You are her personal bodyguard." Robin tried to assure Daniel, who still didn't seem relieved.
Not getting any reply from Daniel as he expected, Robin put his hand on Daniel's shoulders and squeezed it. "Now let's go report to Queen Cora," Robin said as he nodded his head towards the garden gate.
They both walked out of the garden together, different thoughts running through their heads.
"Where have you been, Ruby?" Granny asked as Ruby stepped into her cave room. Ruby quickly turned around and was about to leave again when granny grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around to find Ruby's eyes glowing red and her fangs covered in blood again.
"It's not what you think!" Ruby quickly blurted out. Granny looked at her, giving her a chance to explain herself. Still holding her in place.
"I..I….yes it is human blood but I didn't kill the human. I managed to stop the wolf in me from bringing any harm to her." Ruby explained, squeezing her eyes shut waiting for any blunt attack that was about to come her way.
Granny sniffed the air this time. "I will only say this once again Ruby, do not seek out humans, stay away from them," Granny said as she turned around to leave Ruby alone.
Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that wasn't threatening at all." She scoffed to herself, rubbing her neck again. This was becoming a routine for them at this point. She couldn't even remember the last time Granny was ever gentle with her.
As she rubbed her neck to soothe the pain her glance quickly landed on her bed and the item laying on it.
'She must have put it there' Ruby thought to herself as she grabbed the red cloak and took in a long sniff of the familiar object. It helped her calm down. It was the only item she had belonging to her dead mother.
She wrapped herself in the red cloak and tried her best to forget about the beautiful young princess she almost let devoured by the beast inside of her. She wrapped herself tighter as she went to sleep dreaming of lavenders.